


Out of Control

by NothingButPBandJ



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Badass Morty, Captivity, Control, Dark, Disturbing Themes, Emotional Manipulation, Insults, Language, M/M, Obsessive Behavior, Secrets, Super evil Rick, Violence, Yandere, this is not a happy story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:27:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29293656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NothingButPBandJ/pseuds/NothingButPBandJ
Summary: Morty has a secret. The secret is making him realize how toxic his relationship with Rick is. Rick cannot have that.
Relationships: Rick Sanchez/Morty Smith
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53





	Out of Control

He would never admit to it, but he loved Morty to death. When he first set his eyes on him, Morty had given him a sense of purpose in life, something that nothing (and no one) had ever truly done for him before. Why Morty of all people was a mystery. But for whatever reason, Rick became fixated on his grandson, to the point of near obsession.

Morty wasn’t just his grandson. He was his partner. His wingman. His best friend. Rick didn’t care about anyone else, so long as he got to be with him.

Unfortunately, Morty got it in his head that their friendship meant that they were equals. Rick had no equal, and even if he did, it wouldn’t be _Morty._ The kid couldn’t even do the most basic math in his head. He was almost as dumb as Jerry.

For the most part, Rick tolerated Morty questioning him, poking fun at some of his ideas, and even arguing with him. But there was a limit as to what Rick would allow him to get away with. Rules that Rick had formed in his head: ones that he had never told Morty about, but still expected him to follow.

For one, Morty could not have any other role model to look up to. Rick managed to convince Morty that he was never jealous of that Vance character, which meant that Rick got to hear his dying screams without Morty being suspicious. That was a good day. Secondly, Morty could not form an opinion that went against Rick’s. Morty was still young, his brain still malleable. Rick would mold his ideas to his own liking. And if Morty ever subconsciously tried to steer away from his influence, Rick would teach him a hard lesson until Morty was mentally compliant once more. Third of all (and this went back to the fact that they were not equals), was that Rick could keep as many secrets from Morty as he wanted. But Morty could not keep a single secret from Rick. A Morty with secrets was a threat to his Rick’s control over him.

Currently, it was the third rule that Morty was breaking. Rick could tell by the way he talked to him. Morty would refuse to make eye contact, come up with an excuse to leave the room and spend the next few hours avoiding him. Could he be any more obvious? Rick rolled his eyes, but Morty missed it because he had already turned around to make yet another escape.

“Homework, huh?” Rick parroted the pathetic lie that Morty had just told him.

Morty grew defensive when he heard the accusation in his tone, “I have a lot of make-up work because of you, Rick. So, _excuse me_ for not having time to spend the next two hours to fetch your things for you. You’ll have to get your screwdriver yourself.”

Oh, he was testy today, wasn’t he? Rick smiled darkly, half amused and half pissed.

“And what subject is it on?”

“English.”

“Ah yes. The most useless one. Aside from maybe Social Studies. What are you, going to read up on Shakespeare? Although, you probably wouldn’t even understand the sparknotes to that.”

“Fuck you.”

“You’re right, Morty. That’s waaayy too high level for you. Are you learning what a verb is? Is that it? Do you know what a verb is?”

“I’m thinking of some verbs right now. Like punching your face and kicking your ass,” Morty was too worked up and angry for his retort to make any sense. His face flushed red. Rick knew he had squashed his self-esteem. But since Morty was still not fessing up to the truth, Rick couldn’t resist digging the wound just a little bit deeper.

“What are those verbs called, Morty? The examples that you just used? Would you call them present particles or gerunds? What do you think, Morty?”

When Morty tensed up, it was all too clear that he didn’t know the answer to that question. And he no doubt felt like he should. Rick resisted the urge to chuckle at how cute his crushed spirit was. After all, he still hadn’t gotten the confession. Maybe he should try a different route?

Instead of insulting it out of him, he would act like the concerned grandparent.

“Okay. Look, Morty. I know you’re hiding something from me.”

Morty glared at him, not falling for the act so soon after how cruel Rick had just been.

“So, what if I am?”

“Okay, you don’t have to tell me,” Rick lied, “But it isn’t anything…stupid. Like drugs or something….right?”

He didn’t believe for even a second that goody-two shoes Morty would be a junkie. But by pretending he thought this as a possibility, he could pass off his earlier insults as just his way of being worried. Morty would fall for it too. Rick could do a lot of things to Morty that Morty would just chalk up as “tough-love.”

Bingo. Morty’s features softened as planned.

“No, Rick. It’s just something I’m doing in private. And no, it’s not jacking off!”

“Didn’t say it was,” Rick chuckled.

Ignoring this, Morty continued, “But it’s my secret and I have a right to keep it. But I promise it’s not anything dangerous or that could hurt anyone.”

“Alright, fair enough.”

They fell into a short silence. Rick could tell that his acting was buttering Morty up.

“But….thank you….for being concerned,” with a smile, Morty left the room. Rick allowed him to go.

Once Morty closed the door, Rick shoved the invention he was working on off the desk. He cursed the boy out in Spanish under his breath, before settling down. _Right to keep a secret?!_ Dream the fuck on, Morty. Rick would get to the bottom of this once and for all.

He took out what looked to be a futuristic ipad. When Morty asked about it, he had lied and said it gave him data on the current temperatures in other planets. He pulled up the cameras he had hidden all over the house. Summer was in her room, texting under a mound of textbooks. So in case Beth or Jerry came in without knocking, she could put her phone away and look like the diligent student that she wasn’t. Jerry was in his armchair, watching other versions of himself with the interdimensional tv. And Beth was in the kitchen, cutting up some lemons for her tea.

Morty was at his desk in his room. To Rick’s shock, he was writing something down. Was he doing homework after all? Curious, Rick zoomed the camera in. Even through Morty’s sloppy handwriting, he could make out what it was saying.

…It was a story? Except it wasn’t a movie script like the one that Morty gave up on. It looked like little Morty had gotten into the novel writing business. It couldn’t be for an assignment, because the stack of papers beside him were also part of the story. A big stack. Clearly, Morty had been doing this for some time.

From what little Rick could read, it was about a boy making some dinner. Nothing of interest yet, until Morty wrote down the words _for his master._

Intrigued, Rick held his breath. The boy in the story wasn’t making dinner for himself, but for his creator. Interesting. The boy then put poison in the soup---

Suddenly, Morty had a change of heart. He crossed out _poison_ and put in the word _sleeping aid._ Fuck, he was such an innocent kid. He can’t even do something too bad in fiction. It was kind of cute actually. It was moments like these that made Rick seriously consider finding a way to keep him a kid forever. To make him naïve until the end of time.

It was a nice thought. If Rick could pull it off, they could both stay the same age forever. Then when the rest of the family died off, Morty would have no one left to turn to. He would be begging for Rick to take care of him. He would have no choice.

But Morty would be against the idea no doubt. And if Rick forced him, he would be traumatized forever, unless Rick got real creative with the mindblowers. Rick might be cruel, but was he _that cruel?_

Hmm…..he wasn’t sure, to be honest.

He continued to read Morty’s story until Morty was finished. Before Rick knew it, two hours had passed. Morty had written three chapters of how the boy drugged his master, made his escape, only to be chased by the mad scientist who created him.

_Jesus, Morty. If you needed a therapist to talk to, you could’ve just asked me to find you one._

Morty put down his pencil and stretched his arms above his head, a satisfied smile curling across his lips. Rick frowned. He didn’t like to see Morty this content with himself unless Rick had something to do with the feeling. And he especially didn’t like that Morty’s new hobby was giving him an ego booster.

Rick had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling. His grandson was getting ready for bed, so Rick clicked off the camera and turned to his other inventions. He grabbed the interdimensional goggles off the shelf and looked for the version of himself that nearly matched his reality. Nearly, except that the Rick did nothing about it.

He needed to know what would happen.

He found the perfect dimension, set a few years into the future. Looking through the eyes of Rick, he saw Morty was now 18.

Rick felt an unpleasant feeling stir in his chest.

The Morty was looking at him with a frown, crossing his arms defiantly.

“I’m going Rick. And that’s final.”

The Rick he was talking to spoke, “You d-don’t know what y-you’re getting yourself into….you’ll rank up debt with those student loans. Y-you’ll never get a job….y-y-you need me.”

But the Morty only glared harder, “You don’t know that. You’ve always tried to make me think you know everything so you can control me. But you don’t. I might make it.”

“Your damn soap opera book didn’t sell! Why do you have such a big head about it?!”

“Because….” Morty had a thought, “Because it doesn’t matter that publishers didn’t want it. You know why? Writing that book did more for me than being famous or making money ever could. It…it made me realized that the kid in my story is me—”

“No fucking duh,” the Rick retorted. But Morty was on a roll.

“And the scientist is you.”

“Great job! It took you four years to figure out the fucking obvious. So what? I’m an evil scientist in your eyes, huh? What? Did I ever cage you up for days on end like he did? Oh, don’t get me started on him force feeding the poor innocent boy who just wants to die. Oh, and chasing the boy too. I bet it makes you feel soooo special to have fantasies like that. You think if you walk out that door, I’ll honestly follow you to the ends of the earth like he did? YOU THINK I CARE THAT MUCH?”

There was a beat as the Rick was left panting from his outburst. His Morty continued to glare hard, still not deterred by anything he said.

“And what do you think will happen, Rick?” he spoke so softly it was almost a whisper. The sharp contrast between him and Rick was evident, “That months after I’m gone, I’ll be an…an emotional wreck? Because you never showed up to kidnap me? You really think I want you to?”

“I don’t think. I know. You want to feel special. You want attention. Well, it ain’t happening.”

“Then let me go.”

“Fine,” Rick waved him off with disgust. He turned around so that the spectator Rick couldn’t see Morty anymore, “No one’s stopping you. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

And then that was when Morty said it. The one thing that both the Rick watching and the Rick in front of him dreaded to hear. The one single thing that made all of Rick’s bluffing mean nothing.

“Take out the tracker inside me first. Then I’ll go.”

The Rick watching with the goggles clutched his hand into a tight fist. He could feel the blood pouring in his face, coating it a deep red. The goggles turned back to Morty. Interdimensional Rick now had a dangerous edge to his tone. Instead of red hot anger, it was icy….poisonous….deadly..

“There is no tracker, Morty.”

They locked eyes, trying to stare each other down. Morty refused to relent, no matter how harsh Rick’s words were. No matter how many times Rick tried to manipulate him. It was like Morty was out of control.

Out of Rick’s control, that is.

This time it was Morty who turned around. He grabbed onto the door handle, taking one last look at Rick. The look in his eyes scared both Ricks watching. There was way too much confidence in them. Way too much control. It was clear that Morty didn’t have a single doubt in his mind right now. There was not one insecurity that Rick could peck at. There was literally nothing Rick could do to stop him from walking out that door and never thinking of him again.

“I’ll drive by where Mom works. You know how she has all those x-rays and stuff,” he waited for Rick to say something. But the man was speechless, so Morty continued, “I bet she can take the tracker out too. She’s got your brains, after all. Then I’m going to go far away. And no, I won’t come back wishing you had chased me.”

The goggles were trembling. The Rick who was wearing them thought he was shaking in rage just seeing this defiance. But he soon realized that it was the other Rick who was shaking. Morty was heading out the door now. The goggles made a sharp turn as Rick’s hand grabbed a baseball bat. The Rick watching this had to close his eyes for a split second because he knew what would happen next.

With a sickening thunk, Morty dropped to the floor, gasping for air. His Rick turned him around, seeing the way Morty’s eyes glistened with tears. He was hurt in more ways than one.

“R-Rick…how….how c-could you…it hurts…”

And then the Rick spoke tenderly without a hint of guilt in his voice, “Shush. It will be okay. I’ll heal you up in no time. Just as soon as I get the cage ready for you.”

Morty could only respond with a shaky breath. He was horrified beyond belief. Even though he expected this side of his grandfather to exist, he had never seen the full extent of what Rick was capable of.

Rick chuckled, “You really twisted my arm, Morty. Backed me into a corner until I had no other choice but to do this. But hey. At least you’ll get to live out your book for real. I’ll be the evil scientist keeping you locked away from everyone and everything. Just like you wanted….”

“I…I don’t want…..you’re insane….some-someone help, please!” he was being picked up into Rick’s arms. It took some effort on Rick’s part. Morty wasn’t as small as he was before.

The Rick opened up a portal and stepped inside with his Morty in tow. He said fondly, “No one’s going to take you away from me. And if that makes me the bad guy in your story, that’s fine with me.”

Rick yanked off the interdimensional goggles and took in a few deep breaths. Fuck, if that situation happened to him, Rick would do the same thing. Like hell he would just let Morty walk out of his life without any way for him to track him down.

All this was because Morty’s hobby helped him wise up to what Rick was doing. Rick had to stop this before things escalated to…. _that._

If Rick could keep his mental hold on Morty, then there would be no need for force. He could still make Morty convinced that he wanted to be with him forever. And that was by far more preferrable than actually caging him up like a dog.

And as for letting Morty go….that just wasn’t an option.

It was settled. Rick would destroy Morty’s budding interest in writing this novel, just like he did with that damn heist script. He would end this thing before it began. He wouldn’t let Morty subconsciously figure out the nature of his control over him.

Maybe after he crushed Morty’s spirit and made him think writing was useless, he would comfort the boy afterwards? He would take him out to get the best pizza in the universe, make him feel better, make him realize he needed Rick to be happy.

Because Rick loved Morty to death, even if he would never admit to it.


End file.
